Could turkey be for me? - Turkey Discussion Forum, Holiday Forums

Could turkey be for me?

Karen_uk

2006-08-21 09:54:13

Hi everyone, am looking for some help and advice as I have never travelled to Turkey before, and have heard mixed responses...so thought Id ask here...

Im a single mum, son aged 6, and would you say that Turkey could be a place for us to travel on holiday to? Travelling alone I need to feel comfortable in the place I am in, having travelled to Cyprus, greek island, caribbean etc Ive always felt that ~ is Turkey any different?

Which resort/area/hotel would anyone recommend, we like to have good pool facilities, nice beach, but also to be close to a town so we can wander around in the evenings, being just the two of us, and me with a 6 year old, clubs and pubs etc dont really come into it, but to be in a nice location, with good facilities around....dont really want AI but do need somewhere for little mr fussy eater to be able to eat....

Your thoughts would be immensely appreciated. I am possibly looking at this for the October half term week ~ is the weather good at this time of year? love the sun...and dont want to venture to somewhere that wont be good weather.....also, this is our "extra" holiday lol so on fair budget.

Many thanks

Karen

lallygirl

2006-08-21 10:05:14

Hi karen
I travel alone with my children - just returned in fact. No problem at all , the Turkish people love children and will make a fuss and look after you. I stayed at the Belcekiz Beach in Olu Deniz - have a look at the thread and reviews. I think it would suit your needs
Lally

Dave Thomas

2006-08-21 11:51:51

Would strongly advise that you consider Turkey, but avoid Marmaris (unless you like Blackpool). Do consider all inclusives as you have a better chance for both of you to meet others (if that is what you want). Also your child will be able to find some food he likes from the vast array of food that will be displayed for him.

Dave Thomas

ellie_meg

2006-08-21 12:04:03

i agree with lallygirl, olu deniz is a lovely resort and you dont get too much hassle that you can get in the bigger resorts, as everyone says the turkish people love children and are really friendly but personally i would stick to the quieter resorts being on your own, we have just come back from akyaka which is lovely but might be too quiet for you as not that many shops so olu would suit you better

Edited by ellie_meg 2006-08-21 13:12:02

Alfie

2006-08-21 12:29:28

Another place you may like to think about would be Icmeler. Which is a nice family orientated resort. I would suggest Turunc, where you would definitely feel safe, but not sure whether it may be a bit too quiet in October for you. You'll find that in all the restaurants and bars in Turkey the staff will be very friendly towards you. Turkish people are very accommodating so will do their best to offer food that your son likes. There is a lot of choice with food, we have never found it a problem with our children when they were younger, and with our grand children now.

The weather in October is still lovely during the days, a bit chillier in the evening. Also depending on the postion of the swimming pool where you are staying(regarding amount of sun it has had on it), towards the end of October, it may well be too cold to swim in.

Cruisecontroller

2006-08-21 14:24:57

Could Turkey be for me ?

Hi Karen uk, As Alfie has just said, Icmeler is a place to be highly recommended and the Babadan Apartments through Thomson will be ideal for you and your son. If you go back to August 15th in this Forum, this is where you will find the last post on Babadan Apartments by me of all people, there are 7 pages of recommendation for you to read through. I concur what the other people above have said about the Turkish people, they are simply the best and you will have a worry free holiday. You may even catch,"the Turkey Bug", like the rest of us, once been, you will want to go back time and time again. Best wishes to you.

Edited by Cruisecontroller 2006-08-21 18:29:35

K&R

2006-08-21 15:21:56

i also have to say that turkey would be a lovely place to stay.

we went 2 years back and no holiday has lived up to the turkey one, so next year we are going to icmeler, bodrum is also lovely and has a mcdonalds just incase your son misses home really bad.

my daughter is a very fussy eater and i promise you would not have a problem finding food he likes, the turkish people are the friendliest i have ever met.

Karen_uk

2006-08-21 20:34:58

how wonderful that you have all taken the time to respond and help

it IS appreciated.

I got bitten by a travel bug only a few years ago, and my son and I are beginning to work our way around :lol:

we went to Cyprus back in May/June, which although we liked, I cant say I was overly struck by it, we LOVED some of the greek islands, but I just fancied a bit of a change

I will certainly check out the threads and info and any other thoughts or suggestions would be great. Two suggestions that Id had were the Club Excelsior and also Club Julian both I believe in marmaris, but will most definitely check out the others

Thank you so much

Karen x

ellie_meg

2006-08-22 09:55:56

you will get some hassle in marmaris and icmeler although icmeler slightly less, i do like both these places but be aware of this, olu deniz is a lot less hassle and smaller, a good basic hotel ive been recommended although not stayed but it is cheap and has very good reviews is karbel hotel in olu so have a look at that, read up on the resorts and hotels and decide from there, you can book it through, lowcostbeds, findmeaccommodation.com etc and flights seperately if youre happy doing a diy, good luck

doe

2006-08-22 10:17:57

I had a quick look round the Karbel hotel when I was in Olu Deniz a few weeks ago (not the rooms tho). It seemed nice and had a large pool and restaurant for the size of the hotel. Think you can get it on B&B or HB. Its within walking distance of all the bars and restaurants.

kimevans

2006-08-22 13:13:56

Wher did you go in Cyprus? IMHO east (Napa, Protaras, Pernera) is far better then west (Pathos).

Gotta agree Olu Deniz, beautiful, safe, big enough but small enough, fantastic place.

Olu Deniz resort hotel & Belziche (?) Beach hotels are the best locations as they are both beach front but both AI. The Oyster Residence is also beach front & BB, but expensive, only Sovereign go there.

HTHs

joan.pw

2006-08-22 15:14:24

where to stay

I would not go to Marmaris if I were you Karen, it is noisy and loads of hassle, I think it would be to overpowering for your first venture to the gorgeous Turkey.
As others have sugested, Turunc would be nice as you can just go down to the harbour get the water taxi to Marmaris, just to have a look, and Icmeler is a nice family resort, every one will look after you.
Stay in the centre and you will be close to the shops and canal where you can walk along at night, loads of stalls to browse.
Olu Deniz is a loverly resort to try, the beach is great as long as you walk along a bit, just ask the locals they will point you in the right direction
All in all I think you will be like the rest of us when you get back, HOOKED.
Dont forget to let us know how you get on.

Karen_uk

2006-08-22 17:51:45

Thanks everyone....Im still investigating...

Wher did you go in Cyprus? IMHO east (Napa, Protaras, Pernera)

Kim, we stayed in pernera, and although I enjoyed it, Protaras itself didnt strike me, it was like being in britain in the sun! I did love cyprus when we got out to see the "real" cyprus......but the resort of protaras wasnt me.....I dont want to feel as if Im walking down a street at home ya know?

But thanks for the help and advice everyone

am looking at lykia (?) world and Belcekiz Beach in Olu Deniz

just cant decide whether to go October for 7 days, or wait til next may when I can get a holiday for 10/11 nights for the same price as October,.....

del949

2006-08-22 18:16:53

joan pw.
another benefit of Olu Deniz that no one had mentioned is that it is so easy to get to hisaronu , fethiye and calis from there by the dolmus.
del949

jillym

2006-08-22 20:07:17

Couldn't agree more with those who recommend Olu Deniz. We've just got back and fell in love with the place. It's small enough to be friendly and big enough not to get bored. The locals weren't pushy when selling and most things were as cheap in the local shops as the market in Fethiye. As already pointed out after a 5 minute dolmus ride you can experience the livlier delights of the larger town of Hisaronu.

The Turkish people love to make a fuss of children and will help mums in any way they can.

We stayed AI at Club Sun City and while not perfect (where is?) it satisfied all our needs and we had a great holiday and can't wait to go back to Olu. :lol:

doe

2006-08-22 21:31:26

karen_uk

May might be better as its the start of the season, whereas everything is probably coming to a close by October. Also (I'm not an expert) I would imagine the evenings would be lighter/days longer in May.

In view of what you have posted about Cyprus feel I better mention that Olu D is a bit of a British resort, as its mainly british tourists that visit and they are catering for us, but it's not to over the top. It's a 'low rise resort', with all the hotels set in pretty gardens and the town is surrounded by mountains.

Unfortunately I haven't been to Protaras so can't do a comparison, but there may be someone on here who has been to both.

ellie_meg

2006-08-22 22:37:29

i went to protaras for the day whilst staying nearby and i wasnt that impressed either nice beach but that was about it. ive stayed in lykia world and it is fab you will love it scenery is fantastic and food is gorgeous , i highly recommend it

Karen_uk

2006-08-24 19:59:02

Thanks everyone...

At the moment Im thinking of going in May

and have just begun getting some prices for the Belcekiz (sp?) best so far is about £405 each for 11 nights, (bearing in mind I have to pay adult price for the little one) which includes the May half term holiday....

I paid more than that for Cyprus and we were self catering, so already off to a better start :lol:

But this is a great board...

*thanks everyone*

kimevans

2006-08-25 22:08:06

Yeah, Turkey is much better value than Cyprus. But Fig Tree Bay is lovely, isn't it?

The Belcekiz (?) beach hotel & the Olu Deniz Resort hotel are probably the 2 best for quality family accomodation in Olu.

Lykia is susposed to be really good, but its along a cliff top road & too far to walk, IMO LOL. Only the cans go up there, the buses (dolmus) aren't allowed too. So if you like to venture out & about, you will spend a lot on cabs. We hired a jeep & drove out to it, as I wanted to see how far out it was.

Look at the JMC prices for the Olu Deniz Resort Hotel, they are on the Thomas Cook website, I think they are about the cheapest & Portland for the Belcekiz.

lynwestie

2006-08-27 10:32:10

Karen - i assume your talking end may half term which is probably the best time to go to Turkey as far as weather goes. Its hot without being too hot. this is normally our choice of time to go and we normally take the half term plus the week after out of school. unfortunately we cant do that next year as its GCSE time for our eldest so we are braving the July heat. :shock:

olu is a beautiful place , i have been there twice and its the only place in the world so far that we have been back to and theTurkish people are the best. they will go out of their way to make you welcome and you will have fun with them too. We are also back there next year staying at Belcekiz beach. We do try other places but nowhere ever compares and we spend our time wishing we were back in olu.

lyn

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